The city of Ashburn is the county seat of Turner County, Georgia, United States. As of 2020, its population was 4,291. Ashburn's government is classified as a council/manager form of municipal government.
Ashburn is noted for its peanuts and a fire ant festival.
History
The town of Marion was founded in 1888, and changed its name to Ashburn when it was incorporated in 1890. Ashburn was designated seat of Turner County when it was established in 1905.[4] The community was named after W. W. Ashburn, a pioneer citizen.[5]
Peanut Statue
In 1975, the Peanut Statue was constructed in Ashburn and was then considered an official state monument in 1998. In the year 2018 it was destroyed by Hurricane Michael. The newer peanut statue appears smaller than the original peanut statue, although the exact measurements are unknown. The woods that the original peanut was next to was cleared out, and the small picnic table as seen in the first image was presumably destroyed by Hurricane Michael, the same hurricane that destroyed the original peanut statue.
The small tower constructed of brick was reused for the newer peanut statue, as was the crown. The original peanut statue was made of fiberglass. The brick tower is 15 feet tall and has a crown attached to it.[6]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.6 square miles (12 km2), of which 4.5 square miles (12 km2) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2) (0.66%) is water.
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 4,291 people, 1,500 households, and 1,061 families residing in the city.
Education
Schools
Ashburn residents are served by the Turner County School District which offers pre-school through grade twelve education, and has one elementary school, a middle school, a high school, and a speciality school.[22] The district has 126 full-time teachers and over 1,145 students.[23]
Ashburn is served by a public library, the Victoria Evans Memorial Library.[24]
Events
The original peanut statuePeanut statue rebuilt in 2023
Every fourth weekend in March, Ashburn holds the Fire Ant Festival. This offers an art show, carnival rides, a car show, strawberry cook off, BBQ competition, health show, and fireworks. Some events are tailored to the festival itself, such as the Fire Ant Call, Find the Fire Ant, Fire Ant 5k, and Miss Fire Ant Pageant.
Notable people
Henry T. Elrod - World War II fighter pilot posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor
